House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Chairman Jim Costa of California sent a letter to United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in the wake of the second death of a USDA meat inspector due to COVID-19. Costa raised concerns about a directive issued on April 9, 2020, requiring Federal inspectors to find or make their own masks and face coverings, and committed to working with Secretary Perdue to support the health and safety of the 8,000 USDA meat and poultry inspectors.

“At a time when our meat and poultry workers and inspectors are having to weigh their own safety and their livelihoods, it is a time for us to work with USDA to ensure that we protect our food supply in a way that also prioritizes the safety of our workers. I am committed to working with Secretary Perdue to do all that we can to make sure we can continue inspection in the safest way possible,” said Costa.